ONE of the North West's oldest women has celebrated her 107th birthday at a residential home.

Caroline Harries has witnessed three different centuries after being born in Wallasey Village on January 5, 1895.

At a party at the Trepassey residential home in Heswall, Mrs Harries received a card from Buckingham Palace, as she has every year since she was100.

Mrs Harries was a physical training instructor at various schools in Lancashire and Yorkshire when she met her husband, William.

They moved back to Merseyside when he wrote and published a book called Landmarks in Liverpool History, which became a local best-seller.

Trepassey manager Penny Lucas said: "She is an amazing lady. Although totally deaf, she is virtually self-caring and very sharp. She is in good health and is very interested in all that goes on around her.

"She has a brilliant sense of humour and is very popular with all the carers at Trepassey." Mrs Harries has one child, 75-year-old Jean Brockback, two grandsons and six great-great grandchildren.

Mrs Harries said she had no explanation to offer as to why she had lived to such a great age.

She said: "In the last 30 years I have had no real problems and I have managed to lead a stress-free life."

Mrs Lucas added: "She can tell stories from both world wars, and she amazes staff with her high level of independence.

"When she goes for a hospital visit, she is amazed at how much has changed." Meanwhile, another of Wirral's oldest women has died on her 104th birthday.

Jessie Meadows died as she was about to celebrate with family and friends at the Belvedere nursing home in Wallasey.

She was born in Leeds in 1897, but moved to Moreton with her husband, Ted, where their daughter, Edna, was born.

Mrs Meadows worked as a telephonist at Ellerman Shipping in Liverpool.

She moved to the nursing home after she lost her sight. Her funeral is at Landican cemetery tomorrow.